Friday, March 13, 2026

March 13, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Old Dominion shooter convicted of Islamic State ties released from prison just 2 years before attack . . . Less than two years after leaving prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh stormed a classroom at Old Dominion University and opened fire before ROTC students subdued and killed him. The attack left one person dead and two injured, jolting Virginia officials and raising blunt questions about how a convicted ISIS sympathizer regained freedom so quickly. Associated Press

The victim in the Old Dominion University shooting was identified as an alumnus and veteran Army helicopter pilot.

Armed attacker crashes explosive-laden car into Michigan synagogue . . . Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, drove a vehicle packed with explosives into the Temple Israel preschool in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in a brazen antisemitic attack Thursday afternoon. The car plowed through the doors with 140 students inside before armed security guards fired on Ghazali, killing him at the scene. Authorities are investigating the incident as a targeted assault on the Jewish community. New York Post

FBI storms home of Lebanese-born restaurant worker who drove truck filled with explosives into synagogue

FBI Trained Michigan Temple How To Stop A Shooter Just Weeks Before Attack

Politics

Vance was wary as Trump launched Iran strike . . . As President Donald Trump moved toward a military strike on Iran, Vice President JD Vance quietly signaled deep skepticism inside the White House. Two senior officials say Vance worried the operation might fail and broadly opposed another U.S. intervention abroad, reflecting his long-held doubts about foreign wars. Though he has publicly defended Trump's decision since the attack, the behind-the-scenes resistance exposes an early split in tone inside the administration over the risks of escalating conflict with Tehran. Politico

I would assume his allies are leaking this to shore up his position with portions of MAGA base that oppose the war and foreign interventions in general.

Trump administration will allow companies to apply for tariff refunds

House conservative unveils bill to end chain migration, scrap diversity visa in sweeping immigration overhaul . . . Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee is advancing a bill that could deliver the most dramatic shake-up of U.S. legal immigration in decades, scrapping the long-dominant family-based system in favor of a model centered on national interest. The proposal would sharply curb chain migration and abolish the diversity visa lottery, which grants 55,000 visas yearly. Fox News

Ogles is pushing a repeal of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the legislation driven by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., that brought about mass migration from Latin America.

Zohran Mamdani's Wife Provided Illustration for Essay by Author Who Called Oct 7 'Spectacular' . . . Rama Duwaji, New York City's first lady, contributed artwork to an essay praising Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack and containing repeated antisemitic rhetoric, including calls targeting "Jewish supremacist vampires" and "rootless soulless ghouls." The essay, part of a collection published last month, follows a Gazan woman navigating daily life under conflict. Washington Free Beacon

National Security

Iran escalates Strait of Hormuz attacks on tankers . . . Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz intensified as Iran's new supreme leader vowed to continue blocking the vital oil route and targeting ships in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes. Explosive-laden drone boats struck two tankers Thursday—Safesea Vishnu and Zefyros—killing at least one crew member, while the Iraqi navy rescued 25 others. A Japanese container ship also suffered minor damage. Washington Times

KC-135 refueling plane crash in Iraq kills four during Iran war operations . . . A U.S. military KC-135 refueling aircraft operating in support of the war against Iran crashed in Iraq, killing four of the six crew members aboard, according to U.S. Central Command. Rescue teams continued searching the wreckage while investigators worked to determine the cause. Officials said the aircraft was not brought down by hostile or friendly fire. The deaths push the number of American service members killed in operations tied to the Iran conflict to at least eleven. New York Times

TSA workers set to miss first paycheck with no end to shutdown in sight

Chip Roy flags Cuba meeting tied to anti-Iran strike protests . . . Rep. Chip Roy is calling for an immediate investigation into a network of activist groups organizing protests against President Donald Trump's Iran intervention after some of their leaders reportedly met with members of Cuba's Communist Party Politburo. The Texas Republican argues the contact raises national security concerns and suggests the groups may be unlawfully coordinating with foreign interests. Daily Signal

Conservative panel warns immigration being used as geopolitical weapon . . . At a Heritage Foundation discussion, Government Accountability Institute president Peter Schweizer argued that rival nations are exploiting mass migration to expand influence inside the United States. Citing Mexico in particular, Schweizer said large-scale migration can shift political and cultural power over time. He pointed to Mexican government figures estimating nearly 40 million people of Mexican origin now live in the U.S., fueling concerns among some analysts that immigration is being leveraged as a long-term strategic tool. Daily Signal

International

China seeks to erase ethnicities with new law . . . China's legislature passed a sweeping law aimed at promoting "ethnic unity," a move critics warn will tighten Beijing's control over minority groups and accelerate forced assimilation. The measure mandates that all government bodies, local authorities, and state-affiliated organizations, including private enterprises, work to strengthen a collective national identity. Officials frame it as fostering community among all ethnic groups, but human rights observers see it as another tool to suppress cultural and religious distinctiveness. The Hill

Britain scraps Churchill for wildlife on banknotes . . . The Bank of England plans to strip major historical figures from U.K. currency and replace them with wildlife imagery, ending a decades-long tradition of honoring icons who shaped British life. Figures set to disappear include Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, J.M.W. Turner, and Alan Turing. Officials say the shift reflects public consultation and celebrates nature, but critics see another cultural reset—trading national heroes for safer, non-controversial symbols on Britain's money. Daily Signal

Money

Tariffs to be refunded after Supreme Court ruling . . . The Biden administration outlined plans to return payments collected under the Trump administration's "Liberation Day" tariffs after the Supreme Court struck them down 6-3 as unlawful. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is creating a web portal to streamline refund requests for affected companies, following a U.S. Court of International Trade order. The move closes the chapter on sweeping global tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act that the high court found exceeded presidential authority.

New York City eyes $30 minimum wage, alarming businesses . . . A new City Council proposal would raise New York's minimum wage to $30 an hour, the highest in the nation, sparking excitement among struggling workers but sending shockwaves through the business community already facing rising costs. If passed, large employers would reach the new wage by 2030, while smaller firms would follow by 2032, doubling the current $17 hourly minimum and reshaping labor economics across the city. Wall Street Journal

You should also know

Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Shoving Air Force Veteran Onto Subway Tracks Was Deported Four Times . . . A Honduran national previously deported four times is now accused of shoving two men—including an 83-year-old Air Force veteran who is now brain dead—onto New York City subway tracks. Authorities say Bairon Posada-Hernandez first entered the U.S. illegally in 2008 and most recently was removed in 2020 before slipping back into the country again. The Department of Homeland Security also cited a lengthy criminal record with 15 prior charges, intensifying scrutiny over repeat deportations and public safety failures. Daily Wire

Study claims daily multivitamin slows aging . . . A new Mass General Brigham study suggests a simple daily multivitamin might modestly slow biological aging. In a randomized clinical trial of nearly 1,000 healthy adults around age 70, those taking the supplement for two years showed about four months less cellular aging compared with others. Published in Nature Medicine, the research measured aging at the biological level, highlighting a small but measurable shift tied to routine vitamin use. Fox News

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